Buster

Buster is Nero's unique grappling technique in Devil May Cry 4 which can be initiated by pressing (PlayStation),  (Xbox 360) or L (PC). This technique utilizes the Devil Bringer wherein Nero will grab the enemy and attack them in a method varying depending on the enemy. Lesser demons have different Buster variations depending on whether Nero is on the ground, in mid-air, or in Devil Trigger (which is sometimes called Devil Buster) when he attacks, while bosses can have several cinematic Buster moments which vary depending on the circumstances of both the boss and Nero. Some of these will not actually damage the boss, and will result with it using an attack on Nero. During most of these cinematic Busters, Nero can fire Summoned Swords at the boss, and for some of them he may use Exceed to increase the damage dealt. Also, during a Devil Buster, the Devil Trigger cannot be turned off and the gauge will not deplete.

Useful tips
The damage dealt by a Buster can be extended, resulting in a much faster way of defeating an enemy. Here are the possible ways of increasing the damage;
 * Enter the Devil Trigger state, this results in more gruesome Buster animations with increased damage (called Devil Buster). Note that Devil Trigger must be entered before initiating Buster in order to make it work, otherwise, Nero will initiate a normal Buster.
 * During Devil Buster, you can press the Gun key repeatedly to use Summoned Swords.
 * Once you have entered Devil Trigger and started the buster animation, you can turn it off, however, you can still use summoned swords and it will still do the same damage. This can conserve your Devil Trigger. (Once the animation ends, Nero will be in normal state.)
 * For some boss Busters involving Nero to use his sword, you can rev up Red Queen to increase the damage. Some of those Busters include Dante, Bael and Dagon, Echidna, and Agnus.

Scarecrow (Arm) and Scarecrow (Leg)
Nero will grab the Scarecrow and slam it into the ground. If in the air, Nero will throw the Scarecrow to the ground in a similar fashion. A ground Devil Buster will slam the Scarecrow into the ground three times, while an airborne Devil Buster will throw it at the ground so hard that it bounces back, allowing Nero to Buster them again. This is the "default" Buster move: on some other enemies executing Buster results in the same animation.

Mega Scarecrow
Nero grabs the Scarecrow and slams enemy into ground before he kicks it away. When performed in the air, Nero spins the enemy horizontally and hammer-tosses it, and stays aloft. When Devil Triggered, the Mega Scarecrow is slammed three times in the ground before being kicked, and is more violently spun while in the air.

Frost
Nero grabs the Frost's tail and swings it around rapidly before flinging it in any direction. When performed in the air, Nero stays aloft. When in Devil Trigger, the spinning is faster and more viciously. Pressing the Buster button while Nero is spinning it will increase the number of spins to a maximum of three for a Buster and five for a Devil Buster. The direction in which Nero flings the Frost can be influenced by pressing and holding the left analog stick during the Buster.

Also, when a Frost is healing in its ice cocoon state, Nero's Buster can take out a chunk from the ice, with at least three Busters are required to fully decimate a Frost's ice cocoon.

Assault
Nero grabs the Assault by the tail, slams it into the ground several times, and slams it down in front of him. When performed in the air, Nero will drag the Assault to the ground before doing the same. If Nero uses Buster on an Assault right before its spinning aerial attack makes contact, Nero will instead float in the air then violently slam it into the ground. Pressing the Buster button while Nero is slamming it will increase the number of slams to a maximum of three.

Blitz
Nero unleashes a series of punches and kicks to the Blitz before uppercutting it away. If done in the air, Nero unleashes a similar barrage before hammering the Blitz into the ground. When in Devil Trigger, the series of punches and kicks are faster and the uppercut blow deals more damage.

Gladius
Nero holds the Gladius by its sword-handle and throws it. If Nero locks on to another another demon while Bustering the Gladius, he will throw it at the other demon. This does minimal damage by itself, but if it hits another enemy, it deals significantly more damage to both. When Devil Triggered, Nero spins around and tosses it like a spinning blade. The aerial version is the same as the ground version with this enemy.

Cutlass
Nero grabs the tail of the Cutlass and leaps into the air, spinning the demon-fish rapidly before slamming it into the ground. When performed in the air, Nero returns to the ground during the finale of this Buster. Devil Buster causes the Cutlass to bounce off the ground after being slammed dealing more damage. Additionally Nero will perform a small jump after slamming the Cutlass into the ground. During Devil Buster Nero will jump slightly higher than during the normal Buster and stays airborne longer. Note that the Cutlass will bounce slightly higher than Nero if Devil Buster is used on it.

Basilisk
Nero flips the Basilisk on its back, holds it like a shoulder-fired missile launcher, and forces it to shoot its skull forward before slamming it to the ground. When performed in the air, the skull is shot downwards before Nero throws the demon down. In Devil Trigger, more shots are fired.

Chimera Seed
Nero tears the Chimera Seed in half, killing it instantly. In the air and in Devil Trigger, the same process will occur.

Chimera
Nero will attack the Chimera as he would attack its normal host, though the Chimera Seed will continue to flail its tentacles.

Mephisto and Faust
While the demon is cloaked, Nero's Buster will strip more of its cloak away than a Snatch and the demon will retreat slightly. With its cloak broken, Nero will slam it into the ground similar to a Scarecrow. A Devil Buster will slam the demon into the ground three times.

Another technique regarding the Mephisto is that you can counter the Mephisto's primary claw attack with a Buster. This is difficult to do since the Mephisto will spin around Nero before initiating the attack and accurate timing is required to do this properly.

Bianco Angelo
A Buster from the front will damage the Angelo's shield, but not the Angelo itself. If used from behind, in the air, or when the shield is broken, performing a Buster will cause Nero to impale the Angelo with its own lance, rev it several times, then shoot it across the room. A Devil Buster will cause Nero to hold onto the Angelo as it is propelled by the lance, dealing more damage. There is also a trick whick can be mastered: when Nero strikes the Angelo's shield after a certain amount of strikes with Red Queen, the Angelo will deflect the attack then attack Nero with its shield followed by a thrust attack from its lance. It is possible to Buster the Angelo right before it attacks Nero with its shield with proper timing. Simply strike the shield enough times for the Angelo to deflect the attack and then immediately after that Buster the Angelo. Timing is crucial though. Pressing the Buster button while Nero is revving the lance will increase the number of revs to a maximum of three.

Alto Angelo
A Buster from the front will damage the Angelo's shield, but not the Angelo itself. Once the shield is broken, performing Buster will cause Nero to grab the Angelo and perform a suplex on it and then dropkick it in the chest. It is also possible to Buster the Alto Angelo during the instant it is stunned from a strong attack, though this is quite difficult unless a Chrono Slicer is activated. A Devil Buster will change this to three rolling suplexes followed by Nero pulling it into the air and then drilling it into the ground. Performing either Buster while airborne will cause Nero to drag the Angelo to the ground before performing the same. In positions where Nero would normal Buster Bianco Angelos (behind, in the air or stunned) with their shields still wielded, Bustering Alto Angelos from these positions will cause the Angelo to be flung into the air where it will either continue to hover in the air or land on the ground. Doing so in the air results in the same effect, the Angelo will just be flung higher.

When an Alto Angelo and its Bianco Angelos fire a dark energy sphere, Nero can Buster it to send the ball back. This results into killing the Bianco Angelos instantly, although the Alto Angelo may survive. If done correctly, this can instantly grant Nero a "Smokin' Sick Style!!!" rank.

Combat Adjudicator
The Combat Adjudicator's Buster sequence is equal to that of the Scarecrow's, except that in Devil Trigger, Nero will slam it two times instead of three.

Berial
When Berial's flames are extinguished, Nero can either haul Berial up and slam him into the ground with a mid-air Buster, or fling him up before dealing a damaging blow to the face with a ground Buster. When Devil Triggered, Nero lifts Berial up and unleashes a quick barrage of slashes with the Yamato while the demon is in midair before slamming him to the ground. If on the ground while Devil Triggered, Nero uppercuts Berial and delivers a quick barrages of punches before dealing a damaging blow that knocks him several feet away. Note that if you do a mid-air Buster first, you can do it twice.

Also, Nero can initiate the Buster at anytime against Berial to halt his attacks. A mid-air Buster results in Berial cancelling his attack and swinging Nero instead, with no damage inflicted. A ground Buster can also be an advantage to counter Berial's bull rush attack, but when up close, it causes Berial to stomp his foot on the ground, which can deal damage.

Bael and Dagon
When the ice on Bael's head is gone, it is momentarily stunned and will lie there for a few seconds. You can either buster it from the front and cut up the inside of the mouth, or from the back and spin him around by his tail. When in Devil Trigger, Nero bursts through the back with Yamato extended. During the "Rusalka phase" Buster can be used just when the feelers attack, resulting in a standard "Scarecrow" buster. Any other time and they will simply dodge the Buster. Once a Rusalka falls to the ground in exhaustion (it glows dark red), a Buster will cause Nero to pull Bael out of hiding. And the last, if used when Bael is frozen, green orbs could spawn.

Echidna
When she looks tired, Nero can initiate the Buster, during the attack, Nero will stab the Red Queen into her and rev it, riding around on her in the air as she thrashes to get him off. This Buster can be also used when Echidna is enraged and starts to fly if properly timed. If Buster is used when she is in the ground, it will result in a similar sequence to above, except she will stay immobile, since her body is planted to it, Nero will stand on one of Echidna's petals, revs up his sword and performs a High-Time slash. Additionally, Nero can buster her egg sac when she's in her "Spider form," punching it in the air like a speed bag.

Dante
Dante has the most complex Buster system of all the bosses. Usually, if Buster is used on the ground, a small sword fighting scene will occur, and it can either end in Nero's victory or in a draw. The former results in Nero slashing Dante for damage equal to or even higher than a normal Buster, and in the latter case, whoever recovers first will take the advantage. You can raise your chances of a favorable result by mashing the Buster button during the sequence. Mashing the melee or gun buttons will also work, but with an increased chance of a slash and draw, respectively. However, under some conditions the sequence doesn't occur at all: if Nero Busters Dante in the air, if Dante is using Royalguard Style, if Nero is on the ground while Dante is in the air, or if Dante is Bustered after being dragged out of a combo by damage (melee or DT-explosion), it will give a simple Scarecrow Buster animation. The sequence also doesn't occur it Nero is in Devil Trigger at the time of Buster.

Dante becomes open to Snatch or Buster when in the air or when he is executing a move; however, there are some additions to this rule:
 * The player can make him vulnerable by shooting at him: Dante starts deflecting bullets with his own pistols, which keeps him busy.
 * If Dante is caught in Devil Trigger explosion while executing a move, he becomes vulnerable. This is especially useful if Nero is caught in one of his combos.
 * The second explosion from Charged Shot 3 will make him vulnerable anytime, though it is hard to land a shot on him.

All the other times, Dante has a habit of evading Nero's Buster by rolling and then counterattacking, often with Stinger or Coyote-A. In the air, even if you manage to Buster him, Dante still has a chance of escaping; these escapes are immediately followed by an aerial combo unless the player Snatches him again. More than that, Dante can get loose several times in a row.

Angelo Credo


After Credo is hit by several sword slashes, he will then try to attack, when you dodge his attacks, he will be open. When the Buster is initiated, Nero will grab his shield and punch it, reducing its aura. When Buster is used after the shield stops glowing, Credo is finally vulnerable to the Buster.

Nero punches him viciously four times before delivering a deadly uppercut. In Devil Trigger he still punches him four times but this time his uppercut throws Credo into the air. He then jumps up and stabs the Red Queen into Credo while the Devil Spirit stabs Yamato into him. Then they rip the swords out, and send Credo rolling.

When Credo throws his lance, a perfectly timed Buster will cause Nero to grab it and throw it back, impaling Credo with a high amount of damage, though Nero must be locked-on to aim correctly. If Snatch is used instead of Buster, the lance will be thrown away and small Green Orb will spawn instead.

Angelo Agnus
Nero throws Agnus into air, slams him back into ground, stabs him with two Gladii, and then kicks him away. While Devil Triggered, Nero uses more Gladii as well as the Red Queen and Yamato.After Agnus attacked you with Gladii, a Buster when he is still holding the Gladii will force him to drop white orbs.

Sanctus
After his barriers are destroyed, Nero will throw a barrage of punches, berate him while holding Sanctus by his hair, and then finish with a powerful uppercut. While in Devil Trigger, Nero will hit Sanctus faster and for more damage, and his final uppercut is bone-crunching. When Sanctus is in the Savior, it is possible to pull him out by properly countering the Savior's fist pound with a Buster. This does not damage Sanctus directly, but does eject him from the Savior in his most vulnerable form, leaving him open for another Buster.

Sanctus Diabolica
After his barriers are destroyed, Nero will power up a massive punch with the Devil Bringer, which slams Sanctus into the Savior's core. When he performs a Stinger attack with the Sparda, Nero will grab him and perform a similar Buster as before. While Devil Triggered, the Yamato Devil will deliver the blow instead. It is also possible to cancel out his Sparda thrusting attack and transition to this animation if timed correctly. If Sanctus Diabolica is finished off with a Buster, Nero might yell "Jackpot!" upon impact. The moment he is finished off in this matter is repeated twice for a dramatic effect.

False Savior
Either a Buster or Devil Buster will counter the False Savior's attacks. His right hand can be dodged first before initiating the Buster, and his left hand swing can be countered with a mid-air Buster, and then when he bows down to his weakness, Nero can initiate the Buster once more to finish the fight. Unlike other boss battles, Buster is mandatory to defeat the boss.